On Wednesday, April 22, around 300 passengers skipped themandatory corona test at Silchar Airport in Assam. The travelers fled the scenewithout conducting the Covid test and now police are tracing them.
Amid the more dangerous and infectious second wave ofcoronavirus, the state government had revised the Covid safety rules. Accordingto the norms, the passengers are meant to undergo Rapid Antigen Test and RT-PCRtests on arrival.
The Silchar Airport is small thus the testing isconducted at a nearby hospital named Tikol Model Hospital.
Sumit Sattawan, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Cachardistrict said, “On Wednesday, 690 people landed at Silchar. Some were exemptsince they were transit passengers traveling to other northeast states. A totalof 189 took the test- out of which six were positive.” He further added,“Regarding how they ran away and other details, we are still investigating whatexactly happened.”
He has claimed that every passenger is traceable as theairport management has their details.
The district administration has decided to lodge FIRagainst the passenger who fled away without testing. The FIR will be filedunder Section 180 of the Indian Penal Code and the disaster management act forviolating Covid protocols.
On April 21, the state Health Minister Himanta BiswaSarma has made it compulsory for every passenger arriving from plane or trainwill be home quarantined for seven days even if they test negative.
Cachar district has reported 48 new cases taking Assam’stally up to 1,665 covid cases on Wednesday. Now, the state has 9.048 activecases in total.
Meanwhile, the country has reported more than 3 lakhcases on Wednesday, April 21.